People who took key ingredients in blockbuster weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy were less likely to die from Covid-19 or suffer adverse effects from the virus, researchers found in a new study.
People who had been treated with a 2.4 mg dose of the drug semaglutide, the active ingredient in pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, could still get Covid-19 but were 33% less likely to die from the disease. Research results Published Friday by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
The papers also suggest that semaglutide may have broad health benefits in addition to its previously established risk reduction of serious cardiac events such as heart attacks and strokes. In an interview published in JACC, co-author Benjamin Scirica said that in his own study, patients treated with semaglutide had 29% fewer deaths from causes unrelated to cardiac events, adding that weight does not appear to be a “major mediating factor” in the survey results.
The large study, conducted before and throughout the pandemic, looked at more than 17,600 people who were overweight or obese and had heart disease (but not diabetes).
Other studies published Friday by JACC showed that semaglutide improved symptoms related to heart failure, inflammation and many other functions and reduced deaths in patients with chronic kidney disease.
The findings will further boost Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk, whose value has been boosted by the popularity of semaglutide-based treatments. The pharmaceutical giant has risen to the ranks of Europe’s most valuable companies amid fierce global competition with the likes of the United States in weight loss. Eli Lilly and Company and many other challengers.
The discovery of new effects of semaglutide may open the way to further uses of the drug.
Discussing Friday’s paper, Harlan Krumholz, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and JACC editor, told JACC, “I’m starting to think of weight loss as almost a side effect, I mean these[drugs]do promote health. “
He added, “I think primarily of cardiometabolic health…but (semaglutide) may make us healthier through multiple mechanisms, and in some ways this suggests it is helping us withstand the effects of the pandemic.” adverse consequences.
Still, Krumholz noted that further study of semaglutide’s effects is needed.
Not all side effects of weight loss drugs are positive, and one study A study conducted this year by Harvard Medical School found that such drugs may increase the risk of rare eye diseases.
About The Author
